In the lead-up to his Saturday match at Wembley against Daniel Dubois for the IBF world heavyweight title, Anthony Joshua has opened out about the “pain” he has had throughout his professional boxes career.
The 34-year-old Joshua is seeking to win a world title again after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021. He spoke with the BBC about the challenges he faces on the inside of trying to reach the top of the sport, especially after losing to Usyk once more in August 2022.
“I’ve worked hard and been through a lot of pain, and I’ve worked hard to get better,” he said.
“Hopefully, those experiences won’t happen again because, as you saw that night [after the second Usyk loss], I don’t like losing.”
Since that 2022 defeat in Saudi Arabia, Joshua has rehabilitated his career with comfortable wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and most recently Francis Ngannou. In that last fight, Joshua brutally knocked out the former UFC superstar in Round 2.
“I think I’m gifted with an ability to fight and compete. In boxing you’re able to read certain tendencies, you’re able to read your opponent, so I can always have an eye for that,” Joshua said.
“But there’s a supreme level that you can take it to. And it’s happened over the past eight or 10 months. I’ve really honed in on those skills.”
Joshua’s clash with Dubois is set to take place in front of 96,000 fans at English football’s national stadium, with the winner likely to assume prime position to fight either Tyson Fury or Usyk next, depending on the outcome of their rematch in December.
